Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I made cupcakes! They were for my mom's 3rd graders. I used Joy the Baker's Simple Vanilla Cupcakes recipe, with a couple of changes. For the icing, I used some horrible icing recipe that I found online. It really was pretty gross, but I kept adding things until it tasted good. I won't share the icing recipe, because I really don't know what or how much of anything that I added to make it decent.

These cupcakes are surprisingly dense and moist, and totally delicious. I made a triple batch, since a single batch only makes a dozen.

Vanilla Cupcakes
(adapted from Joy the Baker's Simple Vanilla Cupcakes)

Ingredients
1 1/3 C. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 stick margarine
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 C. whole milk

Method
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

- With an electric stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together for about 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract until well incorporated.

- Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. Add the milk and beat until blended. Add the rest of the flour mixture and beat until almost incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish stirring by hand, to avoid over-mixing. Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners.

- Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

- Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

- Once completely cool, frost and decorate!

They're sweet and vanilla-y and delicious. Kids and adults alike will love them. You can use any icing you want, and decorate them for any holiday or occasion. Totally a versatile recipe.

I had some extra cupcakes, so I played around with decoration. I had these adorable Easter sprinkles in my collection, and Mom got the bunny and egg toppers. Then I played around with decorating tips and techniques. One day, I WILL take a cake decorating class. Until then, I will keep trying to teach myself!

Enjoy!

Mini Chocolate Lava Cake

Guys. You guys. This recipe, you guys. Wow. It is, of course, from the Joy the Baker Cookbook. She calls it Single Girl Melty Chocolate Cake. I needed a slightly more masculine name, so I went with Mini Chocolate Lava Cake. It's gooey and chocolatey and super simple. Also, dangerous. I'm going to make this all the time. Just for me. Maybe several times a day.

Mini Chocolate Lava Cake

 Ingredients
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 C. semisweet chocolate chips
1 large egg
4 tsp. white sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp. all-purpose flour

Method
- Place a rack in the center of the oven, with a cookie sheet on it. Preheat to 375 degrees F.

- Generously butter and flour a 1-cup ramekin and set aside.

- In a small pot, bring 2 inches of water to a simmer. Place the butter and chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl and place over the simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

 - In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar.  Pour in the slightly cooled melted chocolate mixture, and whisk until well incorporated. Add the salt and flour, and stir until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared ramekin.

 - Place the ramekin on the cookie sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for 7-10 minutes*. The less time in the oven, the gooier the cake will be. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes.

- Using pot holders, carefully invert the cake onto a plate.

 - Enjoy immediately!

The * after "7-10 minutes" is because I actually had to bake mine for about 15 minutes. I took it out after 10, and it was still pretty much liquid. After awhile, I just stopped using the timer, and waited until it was puffed up and a little more solid.

Also, make sure you butter and flour the ramekin very well. A piece of mine stuck when I inverted it, as you can see in that last picture.

It was delicious, and quick, and totally worth it. Have it with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, and you've just found Heaven. Double the recipe and use two ramekins for a quick, easy, delicious, impressive date night dessert.

I totally plan on experimenting with this recipe. Adding a little vanilla or mint extract, maybe? Some peanut butter chips? Some rum? Coffee? Top it with some raspberry jam? Sliced strawberries? Banana? The possibilities are endless. Maybe I'll open up a cafe and only serve variations on this recipe! Lava Cake Cafe? Any backers out there interested in investing?!

Enjoy!

Weekend in the City

On Friday and Saturday, I was in New York City. The main reason for my trip was the Joy the Baker book signing on Saturday. Since I was going, though, I made a weekend out of it. I got to catch up with some friends, and stay in my college roommate's awesome apartment. More and more people that I went to college with are moving to the city. It's nice, because if I would happen to get a job there and need a place to stay until I find an apartment, I have lots of mooching options.

While I was in the city, I had to visit some of my favorite places. Frozen yogurt from Red Mango, gelato from Il Laboratorio, shopping and drooling over the authentic British fare at Myers of Keswick, and of course coffee from Starbuck's. I know we have Starbuck's here. It just tastes better in the city. Leave me alone.

 I got to see a show while I was there. I thought about hitting up a TKTS stand to see one of the more mainstream musicals, but even half-price is expensive for those. Instead, I stood in the rush line for a $20 ticket to "Now. Here. This." at the Vineyard Theater. It's the same people that developed and starred in "Title of Show". If you don't know what that is, you should probably find out. "Now. Here. This." is all about living in the moment and participating in what's going on around you, instead of just drifting through life. The four actors talk about their defining moments in life, happiness, sadness, embarrassment.... It's very personal and may not be for everyone, but I loved it... probably because I can relate to almost every point they make. There were parts at which I laughed so hard I almost peed, and parts at which the entire audience had a collective weep. If you're in the city, or going to the city, rush is 2 hours before showtime, and I believe it's playing through April 22nd. Check it out!

Now. The main event. The Joy the Baker book signing. It was crazy and exciting and amazing. Joy Wilson might be my favorite person ever. When I got in the room, there was a cooler full of beer, and a spread of cookies and shortbreads. Free beer and cookies? Best book signing EVER. I think I heard that over 200 people showed up. There was an RSVP option on The Brooklyn Kitchen's website, so everyone that sent in an RSVP was guaranteed a spot for the Q&A, but some of the people that didn't RSVP were turned away, because the room was full. Joy introduced herself and answered any questions that people had.

Once the Q&A was over, the signing started. They opened the signing up to everyone who came, so those who had been waiting outside flooded in. Do you know how long it takes to sign over 200 books? Four and a half hours, apparently. I didn't feel like fighting people for a place in line, and it seemed stupid to go to the back and stand for hours, so I just sat on a bench along the back wall and waited till people cleared out. I sat there for a good four hours till I could actually see the end of the line. All I can say is God bless Joy for sitting and signing for that long. She had to have been exhausted and hungry and in desperate need of a bathroom break, but she took the time to talk to every one of her fans, write something personal in the cookbooks, and pose for a picture if you wanted one. She even signed my wooden spoon. Hey, someone in another city got her to sign his Kitchen Aid mixer. A wooden spoon isn't that weird.

We talked about what I've made from the book so far, and how everyone loves the Trail Mix Cookies. She was impressed that I'd come all the way from PA to see her. We posed for a picture, she signed my cookbook and spoon, and I got a a hug and a bookmark with a picture of her cat on it.

Joy Wilson, a.k.a. Joy the Baker is amazing and sweet and dedicated and fun and I really just want to hang out with her. If she's ever on the east coast again, you can bet I'll be there!

It was an exhausting, amazing, exciting, much-needed weekend. If I had a steadier source of income, I would definitely be there more often. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for the Bucks County job. If I'm only two hours from NYC, and have access to the $5 bus from Philly to New York, you won't be able to keep me away!